Fallout New Vegas: Young Guns
by Ray Lewis
Summary: Once an NCR project, this runaway is out for revenge for a fallen comrade. Will he make it, or will he fall short infront of the Bear?
1. Chapter 1

_**He walked into The Prospector late at night, wearing a duster, an old hat and a .44 at his hip. It was all ready odd that he had come in this late at night, but there was one fact that really stood out: He was no older than Seventeen.**_

"Nuka-cola Quartz ma'am," The boy said, sitting down on a stool."I would prefer if it were cold, but I will take whatever you have ma'am." He added. Trudy looked at him oddly. His hat shaded half of his face, but his chin and lips were that of a boy. His duster was worn, as was his hat. She reached for the last Nuka-cola Quartz she had and handed it to him. "I'm sorry son, but I only have a warm one." She said, her accent thick.

"Where you from boy?" An older gentleman asked a few seats down from him.

"West." The boy said after taking a sip from his cola.

"Well who're you travlin' with?" He asked.

"No one sir, I'm by myself." Trudy was ready to jump in.

"They got Super Mutants and Cazadors, it's dangerous to be alone." She exclaimed. The boy simply looked at her.

"I thank you for your concern, but I can handle myself." He said.

A man previously unseen came over and sat next to The Boy. His leather armor was reinforced and relatively new, as was the Assault Rifle slung on his back.

"Well I'll be damned, look what we have here!" The man hollered as he began to laugh. The stench of alcohol was on his breath.

"We got ourselves a Big Man right here!"The man said, putting an arm around the boy.

"Sir, I would prefer that you did not touch me." The Boy said, containing his rage.

"You need to loosen up, how bout a round?" The man smirked, getting closer to The Boy. He pushed the drunk away from him.

"I ain't sure how you handle things _out west__, _but out here we respect the man about to buy our drinks" He said. He took out a switchblade from his pocket.

"Looks like I'm gonna have to teach you a lesson."

The Boy finished his drink and set the bottle down.

"Sorry, class is out of session." The Boy stated. Before the man had a chance to understand what had been said, The Boy took his bottle and smashed it against the man's forehead as he fell back from the seat and landed on the ground.

"You son of a b-" The man stuttered as he got up, but was met with the handle of The Boy's .44 Magnum. The man fell back down. The boy turned and started out the door.

"What, son, what's your name!" Trudy called out.

"I don't have one." Was the reply.

**Edit: I was re-reading this, and my first impression was "Oh God Why" So I (Hopefully) fixed it. Enjoy-Ray**


	2. Chapter 2: The Gangers

Chapter 2

The Gangers

_Number 5, get up! Number 5, get the hell up!_

The Boy woke up from his dream in a frenzied state. His memory was blurry, but it all came back to him. He looked around at the old gas station he had taken refuge in last night after the incident at the bar. He walked over to the door and opened it slightly. Rays of light penetrated the crack. It was late morning. The Boy grabbed his duster and his hat and snuck out. As he made his way through the streets avoiding the on looking eyes and careless whispers, he heard a commotion at that bar he was at last night.

"You killed our brothers, our freaking family! You all have dug your own damn graves!" a man was screaming as he made his way through the doors. He was wearing an NCRCF jacket with a bandolier of dynamite.

"And this time you won't have Sarah to gun us all down!" He screamed after he had made his way past the boy. They bumped into each other due to the man's backwards walking. "Watch where you're going, damn fool." The man cursed as he made his way down the dirt road. As he walked by, The Boy used all his strength not to pull out his revolver and kill him. _There will come a time, just wait_ He thought, as he walked down the road. He made his way over to one of the water storage areas in Goodsprings. He sat down on the edge of one and dipped his hand in. He brought it back up and let the water flow through his hand. He heard a rustling in the bushes. Suddenly a young Gecko sprinted out and came full speed towards The Boy. Instead of pulling out his revolver, he caught its neck and squeezed it until her heard a pop and felt a trickle of blood from the creatures mouth, signaling the creatures neck being broken. The Boy released it from his cold grip and put his hand back in the water.

"Well that's one Gecko to take care of." A women wearing leather armor and carrying a Varmint Rifle walked down the beaten path. The Boy just stared at her.

"Say, weren't you that boy who was in the bar last night?" She asked, trying to get a better look of The Boys face.

"No ma'am, you must be mistaken." He coldly replied.

"Oh, well anyways my name is Sunny, Sunny Smiles." Sunny said, expecting a response. The Boy just stared down into the water.

"Who are you?" She finally asked.

The Boy smirked. "Nobody ma'am." He said with a hint of sadness in his voice.

Sunny looked the boy over as he talked. She noticed that, while his sleeves on his duster were rolled up, he had them covered with some sort of armor. Other than his face and the tips of his fingers, no skin was exposed.

"Well you have to be someone," Sunny informed." You are here, ain't cha?"

"No ma'am, I'm not." He said, getting up and walking off with the midday sun beating down on both of them.

As Sunny began walking back to The Prospector, her loyal companion Cheyenne came racing towards her, barking.

"What is it girl?" She asked Cheyenne, only to see her run back towards Goodsprings. In the pit of her stomach she knew something was wrong. She started running when she smelt smoke and heard screaming. She then came upon the burning remains of the town. Only Doc Mitchell's, The General Store and The Prospector were left standing. Through the flames she saw the man in the Bar earlier and a few tougher looking mercenaries.

"Well boys, let's burn this hell hole to the ground!" The man shouted, raising a Molotov Cocktail. She hid behind the burnt remains of Trudy's house to watch. She noticed that they were better equipped than most Powder Gangers. She then saw the one thing that stood in their way.

….

"Sir, I ask that you lower your weapons and please leave this town alone." The Boy asked, stepping out of the shadows in-between the Bar and the General Store.

"Boss, that's the little punk I was tellin' you bout this morning, please let me put a bullet through his head Boss, please!" The man pleaded, shouldering his Assault Carbine. There were ten of them, but the Boss stood out. He was wearing Reinforced Metal Armor with a Marksmen Carbine.

"Now hold up Johnson, somethin' different bout this boy," He said in a deep western drawl," Nor, maybe its somethin' familiar." The Boss said.

"I don't care Boss, I'm itchin' for some target practice." Johnson said.

"Shut the hell up Johnson," The Boss snapped," We might be steppin' in something awfully bad here."

"Sir, will you respect my wishes?" The Boy asked, taking no notice in their side argument.

"Naw, we're just going to kill you." Johnson replied, firing two rounds. The Boy pivoted on his left leg and stood sideways to his assailant, hand on his revolver as the bullets passed him.

The Boss slapped Johnson with his armored glove, leaving a rather large cut.

"Damn it, Johnson!" The Boss hollered," I'm sorry son, we'll leave y'all alone." He said as he began to walk away.

"I always knew you were a coward, now you're going to pay!" Johnson screamed, hammering the stock of his rifle into The Bosses neck. To finish him off, he fired a round into his back.

"Now kill that little bastard!" He screamed as he started shooting down the alley. His men followed suit. The Boy found shelter behind boxes and barrels of various supplies. He took out his revolver and loaded it with Armor Piercing rounds. He had a plan.

"Gahh!" The Boy cried, pretending he had been shot and killed.

"Billy, go kick him around to see if he's still alive." Johnson said. A man wearing Leather Armor and carrying a Light Machine Gun walked down the alley to The Boys cover. Billy looked over the body and as he was about to give the all clear, The Boy grabbed the barrel of the gun and hoisted himself up and had the man's neck in his grasp. He took the grip of Billy's gun and tore it from his hand, and then pushed Billy up against the wall. He fell back into cover and fired a shot into Billy's chest. Behind cover, he pulled the bolt back and readied himself.

He pivoted out from cover on his left knee, revolver in one hand and light machine gun in the other. He fired in burst, reducing its terrible recoil, but shots still went all over the place. The Boy knew this, and had planned on it. His revolver was the real killer, taking out a majority of the Gangers as they tried to dodge machine gun fire. As both guns ran dry and the dust settled, only Johnson and The Boy remained.

The Boy stood to face his attacker, he raised his hand. In his right was his revolver and the machine gun lay useless on the ground by his feet. He opened the firing cylinder and let the casings fall out, to show he was out of ammo. Slowly, the casings hit his foot as he stood, impending death.

"We draw. One shot, at the count of three." Johnson claimed, throwing his assault carbine to the side. At his waist lay a 9mm pistol. The Boy took a .44 round from his duster and loaded it into the cylinder. He closed it and holstered it, keeping his hand near it when he had to draw. Johnson did the same.

"One." Johnson shouted.

The Boy could feel the eyes of the whole town on him.

"Two."

"Three!" Johnson shouted. The Boy drew his revolver as Johnson did with his pistol. Johnsons 9mm round found a home in The Boys duster, just on the opposite side of his heart, knocking the revolver out of his hand. The Boys round hit Johnson in the section between his right shoulder and neck. Blood flew on the wall as Johnson shouted. Johnson clamped his neck and stood up straight, holding his pistol in the other hand.

"This is what I love about magazine-fed!" He shouted.

A shot from a pistol split through the air as it split through Johnsons skull.

"Damn bastard took my legs," He said with a tone of sorrow and anger. In his hand was a smoking hunting revolver. "Ya'know boy, they're making an awful big attempt at finding you back in the NCR." He said, facing The Boy. He walked over the man on the ground and bent down. "I know sir, that's why I need to kill you. No one can know –" He began, but was cut off." I know, convicts need to stick together after all… and besides, killing me would be doing me a favor." The Boss spoke quietly, knowing his time had come. The boy stood up and loaded a single round into his revolver.

The Sun was setting as the shot was fired. The Boy stood there for a moment, then began walking North through the Cazador infested canyon.

…

**Aftermath- Three Days Later**

"Oh my God Sunny, are you alright!" Sarah, the famous Ranger, yelled when she arrived on a convoy of NCR trucks bearing supplies. She jumped down from the back of the lead truck and ran to her.

"I'm fine, we were all saved by someone." She said, wondering about the boy.

"Which faction was it?" Sarah asked.

"No, it was a boy, a teenager. He killed them all as if he had years of training." Sunny noted. An officer overheard her conversation and rushed over.

"Ma'am, we need you to tell us about this boy." He stated, signaling a few other officers over.

**So Sunny told them about The Boy who had saved so many lives. What she didn't know though, was that the she had now just endangered His life. As she told them, word got out, search parties were arranged, and posters were posted**: **The Boy was in New Vegas.**


	3. Chapter 3:Adventures and Stories

Chapter 3

Adventures And Stories

_What…. What are we?_

_We're supposed to be soldiers…_

_I don't feel like a soldier Jer-_

_Please, don't say my name._

_Oh right, that's your civilian name, isn't it?_

_No, it's not like that…_

_You and I both know it is. I loved you, but we had to be soldiers._

_There can't be time for-_

_Love?_

_No, emotion._

The Boy jerked awaked. Like most mornings, he vaguely remembered where he was. He then remembered he had taken refuge in what looked to be a raided campground. The corpses of Fiends and Khans littered the area around him. Death hung in the air along with the smell of smoke. He put on his hat and stepped of the remnants of a hulking metal camper. He stepped over to the camp fire and lit it, not for heat or food, but for pleasure. A rustling came behind him in some bushes. As soon as the sound reached his ears, his revolver was aimed at its source. A small, frightened little girl crept out.

"Mister, do you have any food? My tummy hurts." She pleaded. She was no older than 7.

"I'm sorry little one, I don't have anything." He told her. "When was the last time you had anything to eat sweetie?" He asked. He had a place, not in his heart but somewhere, for small children. She wiped a tear from her left eye.

"Oh, I haven't had anything in awhile, but I'll be on my way." She said. The Boy stopped her before she could walk off.

"Now wait a minute, I can't let you leave without getting you something to eat." He insisted. He got up from his seat and took the girls hand.

"Where are we going mister?" She innocently asked.

"Where're going to go find food." The Boy replied.

"Is this going to be an adventure? I like adventures!" The little girl exclaimed.

"Yeah, it's going to be an adventure." He said, chuckling. They walked down the canyon towards The Great Khan Hideout without any trouble from the local wildlife. On their trip she told The Boy about her young life. From what He pieced together was that her mother was a Fiend and, drugged up of course, brought her daughter along for a raid. She had claimed that it was one adventure she didn't like. In turn, The Boy had told her stories he had made up about his past. He also told her some stories about America's past; what pre-war life was like. The whole time she walked in wonder, she gripped his hand when he told her stories of past villains such as Stalin and Hitler, and she stared in disbelief when he told stories of great heroics, and she laughed at some of the anecdotes that he told. Before they knew it, they came to a cellar door. As they walked past it, The Boy stopped.

"What is it mister?" She asked, curious about the sudden halt.

"There's someone down in the cellar." The Boy stated. He told the girl to hide in some of the ruins of a house. He pulled out his revolver and opened the door. The voice was a radio along with some side-chatter. He slid slowly down the wall behind a crate. He then stepped out and pointed at one of the two targets.

A Hunting Shotgun and an Assault Rifle where lifted in response.

"Whoa whoa whoa what the hell do you think you're doing!" One of the two Khans shouted. The other one simply held the shotgun closer to himself. The Boy held his revolver up then smoothly slid it back into his holster.

"I got a little girl who needs some food." He requested.

"She a Khan?"

"She's 7. Her mom's dead and I don't know about the Father." He replied. He knew by now Khans were not the friendliest bunch, but they weren't heartless.

"Hey sweetie, can you come down here?" The Boy called. She sheepishly walked down the stairs, holding the rail in one hand and the other clutched over her heart.

"Awww John, we have to give her something!" The girl Khan said.

John, the one with the shotgun now down to his side, went over to a bowl and tossed a Mutfruit over to the lady Khan. She knelt down as the curious little girl slowly approached. Wide eyed and starving, she graciously took it and began to munch on it.

"What about you?" John asked The Boy, setting the shotgun down on the table.

"I'm fine, sir. Thank you though." The Boy replied. Before John could reply, He crouched down and put his hand on the small girls shoulder as she nibbled on her Mutfruit.

"I need you to stay here, okay sweetheart?" He said. She nodded sadly as she began to look at her new home.

"Hey kid, you just can't leave her here!" The girl Khan said as The Boy walked up the stairs. They met at the top of the cellar.

"I still don't know your name, first off." She said.

"Same goes here ma'am." He coldly replied.

She sighed. "I'm Trish," She started, "Now, you can't just leave her here."

"Why is that ma'am?" The Boy asked.

….

"**What are they doing?"**

"**They look like they're arguing. It must be about that girl."**

"**Right right, well we know that there is at least one Khan, maybe another down below."**

"**Send in a squad of troopers."**

"**Roger."**


	4. Chapter 4: The Dead Point North

Chapter 4

The Dead Point North

"**What are they doing?"**

"**They look like they're arguing. It must be about that girl."**

"**Right right, well we know that there is at least one Khan, maybe another down below."**

"**Send in a squad of troopers."**

"**Roger."**

…

"Look, she's a sweet girl, but me and John just don't have the resources to take care of her." Trish stated. The look in her eyes proved the statement correct.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but it would be too dangerous for me to take her," The boy began. A strong wind blew in from the east."And furthermore-" The Boy stopped midsentence.

"What's wrong?" Trish asked. Without answering, The Boy turned towards the wind and drew his revolver.

"Get down in the cellar ma'am." He said coldly.

"Take the girl with you." Trish pleaded. She motioned for her to come up the stairs.

"No, get down-"Before The Boy could shout his order, the crackle of Service Rifle fire sounded from the ruins of a house a few yards from their position. Bullets hit the ground around the trio as Trish grabbed the girl by the hand and ran to cover. The Boy dove into a pile of debris to escape the fire. John catiously made his way out of the cellar, firing slugs into the NCR line.

Trish leaned out of her cover long enough for a shot to graze her shoulder.

"Gah, damn it!" She shouted as she recoiled back behind her cover. She readied her assault rifle as the little girl balled up and began screaming. Trish stepped back out of her cover and sent out a stream of lead that found two targets. The Boy dove behind a rock and began assessing the situation. Only three troopers remained.

"Grenade out!" One of the troopers shouted. The Boy looked up only to see a green sphere land in Trish's direction. Moments later He saw her lifeless body fly up as bits of flesh and muscle littered the area. John saw this and went berserk. In the mist of it all, The Boy saw the girl stick her head up, only for a second, before a round hit her square in the chest. He got up and ran towards her as time slowed. In the corner of his eye he saw John being hit multiple times before falling. He jumped over the wall and landed on his knees next to the girl.

"Mister, I'm scared." She said as blood sputtered from her mouth. She began to shiver. The Boy picked her up and held her close.

"Don't worry sweetheart, everything will be better soon, I promise." The Boy whispered as He brushed her hair. He noticed the Assault Rifle, Trish's Assault Rifle, only a few feet next to them. The Boy embraced the shivering little girl.

"Mister… can you do one last thing for me?" She asked as more blood leaked from her mouth.

"Anything sweetheart." The Boy whispered.

"Can you give this locket back to my dad?" She whispered back. She took a worn locket out of from under her blood soaked shirt. The outside was covered in grim, but some gold still shone through.

"Where is he?"The Boy asked.

The girl coughed up some more blood. "His name is Jack; he lives in an old house up from Vault 3." She whispered.

The Boy held her closer in response. She stopped shivering as her hand fell limp.

The Boy laid her down and crossed her arms and closed her eyes. He moved his unkempt black hair out of his eyes as a tear fell. "How did you find me?" He asked, his voice colder than ice.

"You didn't actually think that killing a group of Powder Gangers like it was nothing would go unnoticed did you?" A voice responded. Three bodies, two 1st Recon snipers and a trooper slowly crept up behind him.

"There are still plenty of people capable of doing so." He said, his hand on his revolver.

"The word 'kid' came up a few times." The lead sniper smirked. He steadied his Anti-material Rifle under his arm as the other readied his hunting rifle.

The Boy grabbed Trish's assault rifle in one hand and had the revolver in the other as he stood. He wasn't just about to quit, not with all the innocent people the NCR had killed.

"Come on now, you're a smart boy, you know how expensive you are." He said.

"Haha, is that so?" The Boy laughed. The sniper slightly lowered his Rifle. He took his chance.

He fired a shot. The Ranger fell back as the other two opened fire. The Boy fired burst into the sniper. He hit the other snipers' chest with a stream of lead and the Troopers' right arm with his revolver. In the process a round hit him in his left arm.

"Ahh damn!" The Trooper shouted as he fell back. The Boy shot him in the leg to prevent him from getting up.

The Boy quickly walked up to the fallen Trooper.

"What do you know?" The Boy menacingly asked.

"A-l-l I k-know is that we had to b-bring you back alive.

The Boy thought for a moment. Quickly, he fired another round into the Troopers other leg.

"Ahhhh!" He cried again.

"Stay here and tell the Rangers that I'm tired of them slaughtering innocent people. Either they pull back, or I will personally hunt down General Oliver and kill him myself." The Boy promised, holstering his revolver. He would keep this promise, but he had to take care of another one first. He walked north, clutching his wounded arm and hoping the girl was in a better place.

….

"Oh my God it was awful!" The Trooper screamed as two Veteran Rangers interrogated him. One was writing something down into a notepad as the other stood over his victim.

"And that's all he told you?" He asked behind his facemask.

"Yea, last I saw he was heading north towards Fiend territory." The Trooper cried. He was rewarded with a .45-70 round through his forehead. The Ranger with the notepad looked at his partner.

"He was going to die anyways. All we need to do now is get Sarah after him."

"Between Sarah, snipers and druggies, no amount of training can keep him alive."


	5. Chapter 5:Alexis

**Chapter V**

**Alexis**

Alexis ran from behind rubble as machine gun fire peppered at her feet. As she made it to the next broken wall, she heard shouting from a destroyed building. A few feet in front of her she noticed a man hole cover. She picked up her Battle Rifle and climbed towards it. After struggling some, she was able to slide it open and she jumped down.

"Dammit that was close!" she shouted as she reached the bottom. What was supposed to be a simple scavenging trip hand turned deadly. She was somewhere in between Camp Macarran and Vault 3, home of the Fiends. Although Miguel had said that it was deserted, it clearly wasn't. She picked up her rifle and checked her ammo. She reloaded with what little she had and headed in the only open tunnel.

She had been walking in the dark for about ten minutes when she spotted something glowing in the dark. As she made her way to it, she tripped over something soft, yet heavy. As she fell over, her hand hit a cold, heavy cylinder. She got up and picked it up. She felt around it and found the switch. "_Hm, a flashlight, I guess I could get a couple of caps for this"_ She thought. She flicked the switch and immediately regretted it. In the beam lie a decomposing body. The flesh around his skull was gone. Wrapped it it's dead hand was the device she had spotted. She reached out for it slowly, and grabbed onto what looked like the barrel and pulled. The hand refused to let go. She pulled harder until the hand finally let go. She fell back with the device in her hand. She sat up and examined it. She found the trigger and pointed it down the tunnel. She pulled the trigger. Nothing happened, so she tried again and again.

"Must be some kinda detonator." She thought aloud. She put it in her pocket to examine later.

She had been walking awhile when she thought she was in the right spot. She wasn't able to slowly lift the lid, so she had to force her way up. She braced herself against the lid and pushed with all her might. The cover flopped over and she nearly lost her footing, but caught herself on the ledge. She hoisted herself up and brought up her rifle. She stood up in an area she wasn't familiar. Off in the distance she heard barking. She turned around and saw a pack of dogs running towards her. She readied her rifle as the pack came to a slow halt. She reached into her pouch and took out a doggie treat she and found a few days before hand. The leader of the pack slowly came up, and took the treat.

"Awh, that's a good girl." She said as she petted the pack leader. She looked around where she was. In the distance, she saw a gas station and something that resembled a fort. She picked up her rifle and headed to the fort where the dogs had come from.

On her approach, she headed towards a section of fence that had fallen and now lay on the ground. She carefully stepped over it and looked around. Discarded campers made the walls beyond the fence, and in the center was a trio of campers with what looked like an open shack on top. As she walked towards the ramp leading up to it, a sickening feeling entered her stomach.

"Where did my puppies go?" A gruesome sounding voice called out. Out from the shelter came a middle aged women. She was a Fiend, and she had the intent to kill in her eyes. She pulled her rifle to her shoulder. Alexis closed her eyes and heard a shot, much quieter than expected. After what seemed like an eternity, she opened her eyes.

Alexis stood over the Fiends dead body. She put her hand to her face and pulled it away. It came back covered in blood. The raiders blood. Alexis felt lightheaded and before she knew what had happened, she was on the ground, fading to black as a dark figure loomed over her.

... Alexis moaned as she sat up. She looked around where she was and saw that she was on the roof of the gas station she saw earlier. She clutched the back of her head. She noticed a lone figure siting on the edge.

"You're lucky it was me who found you. Fiends aren't all to forgiving." He said. Alexis reached for her rifle that was lying next to the makeshift bed she was on.

"It's not loaded." He said, turning to face her. His face was young yet strong. Alexis realized who it was immediately.

"You're that boy that the NCR is making a big deal about." She gasped, not knowing what do.

"All they put down besides the picture was Number 5." She stated, not knowing what else to say.

He looked away. "That's the nickname they prefer." He said. Before Alexis could say anything, he got up.

"We need to get you out of here. Where do you live?" He said, offering her his hand.

"West Vegas, I was on a scaving trip when I was attacked by Fiends. I'm lucky to be alive." She said with a heavy heart.

"That's near Macarran, isn't it?" He questioned.

Alexis slowly nodded her head, and then realized what that meant for him.

"Alright, but we better get moving." He said with a pained look. Alexis picked up her rifle as The Boy threw her the only clip she had. They both jumped down and headed into Fiend territory.

As they walked through the door, they heard gunshots and explosives off in the distance.

"Looks like we got lucky and came in during a battle." He said, readying his Anti-material rifle.

"How does flying lasers and rockets make us lucky?" Alexis struck a confused look.

"It means that they'll be to preoccupied with other matters." He replied.

Alexis shrugged and pressed on. The air was thick with the smell of smoke and stew. As the duo came up to a building, the boy held his arm out to halt Alexis. He started moving towards a gap in the structure. Suddenly, a crazed Fiend stepped out carrying a sledge hammer. "Guys, the purple elf people are back!" He shouted as he swung towards the boy. He fell back as the sledge hit the wall. He steadied his rifle and blew the Fiend back. As he got up, another Fiend ran out with a grenade in his hand. Gripping the barrel like a club, he swung and made solid contact with the suicidal Fiends temple. In the process he dropped the grenade, only to realize it was a pear. The Boy and Alexis ran into the building and only found more Fiends. In the center of the group was a pot full of some soup. Alexis noticed a hand sticking out from the pot. A man stood out from the crowd.

"ha-ha, more stew boys!" He shouted, bringing up his Heavy Incinerator.

"Alexis, get out!" The Boy shouted as he began to turn and run. He was met with a fireball to the back. He shouted in pain and began tearing off his duster. Under his duster was vest and forearm guards. Another ball of fire hit him in the left side of his chest and arms. He fell in to the ground as Alexis ran to him. Tears began to from in her eyes as she held him in her arms. The vest was destroyed and it was replace with burnt muscles and the glint of metal bones. She looked up and the hungry eyes of Cook-Cook. The tears began to fall on The Boy as she pulled the weird gun from before and aimed it into the pack of wolf-like Fiends. She lowered her head and pulled the trigger. Instantly there was a whooshing sound as she felt like she was flying. It turns out it was worth something after all.


	6. Chapter 6: Requiem of A Dream

**Chapter VI**

**Requiem of a Dream**

"5, get up!"

"5, get the hell up!"

5 awoke with a jolt. He looked into the eyes if a concerned 12. He remembered she liked to be called Danae.

"Twel- Danae, what do you want?" 5 asked, groaning. She looked at him with big purple eyes and a frown.

"I want to talk to you about the plan." she said. She had had enough of the NCR and wanted to go AWOL. 5 looked around at the isolated room they shared. They had been partnered up ever since numbers 6-11 had "failed", which was about 2 years ago. 2 years in their lives felt like 2 eternity's. In Hell.

"Danae, don't talk, like that. Remember was happened to 13?" He was referring to Andrew Higs. He, like many others, had a Combat Number and a Project Number.

"Project 64-" Danae whispered, momentary looking away.

Things began to fast-forward. 5 caught himself as he remembered where he was. He was holding a rifle on the range. He felt the awkward ear-plugs in his ear as the vibrations of gunfire went off around him. He looked down at the fully automatic and readied it. He let out burst after burst. He then realized he was the only one firing. He took out his ear-plugs and heard shouting. He lowered his rifle and looked out of his firing lane. Down the ways was Derek Markins, shouting at the instructors and looking as if he had finally lost it.

"No way, I can't do this I CAN'T DO THIS!" He began to shout as he fell back into a fetal position. 5 could hear him mumbling something but he couldn't make out what. It wouldn't matter now because two other security guards had shown up and grabbed him. He caught 5's glance. They picked him up and slammed him onto a table. The tied his arms and legs to the table and wheeled him down to the psychiatric evaluation room, AK.A the Torture Center.

His day fast-forwarded against his will until he stopped later that evening. He was sitting on his bed with Danae kneeling down beside him, her hands on his thigh. She looked up at him with those huge purple eyes.

"5, you saw what happened today, we need to leave." She pleaded him. 5 looked down into her eyes.

"How would we do it?" He said. They were not the first to try to escape. She looked down at the ground.

"I haven't entirely worked out the details yet…" She admitted, looking back up

"Why don't you go back to bed, think things through." He said, his voice surprisingly soft. Danae obliged and got up.

He lay on his back and closed his eyes. He felt his arms move to his side. He tried moving his head up but found it was out of his control. He started hearing voices, getting closer and closer.

"Um Klein, I think he is starting to come to."

"GAH REALLY? WHICH ONE OF YOU "GENIUSES" FORGOT TO GIVE HIM THE SLEEPY MEDICINE?"

"Doctor, I don't think it's call-"  
>"DARLA WHAT ELSE WOULD IT BE CALLED? IT MAKES THESE FLESH CREATURES SLEEPY. THEREFORE, IT IS SLEEPY MEDICICNE."<p>

"(^%*&^*&(^*&%&^%))"

"QUIET EIGHT. BORUOUS, GET THE SLEEPY MEDICINE. WE CAN ONLY WATCH HIS MEMORIES FOR SO LONG."

"Klein, these are the DREAMS, of a COMMUNIST! WE must destroy him IMMEDIATELY."

"No, please! You have to help him!"

"Klein, listen to the little teddy-bear."

"HUH, FINE DARLA. MUGGY!"

"Yes sir!"

"TAKE THE FEMALE FLESH CREATRUE UPSTAIRS."

"C'mon, I'll show you my mug collection."

"Please, just help him!"

The voices began to fade. 5 felt the needle in his arm. As he began to slip, the face of an Albino girl appeared. She giggled as he fell back.

He awoke to red lights and alarms. He sat up and looked over towards Danae. She looked just as curious and directed their attention to the speaker overhead.

"Attention- Project 31+ and Project 29+ have attempted to escape. All Security detail units are to pursuit immediately!"

As the announcement repeated a second time, Danae took off running. 5 ran after her.

"Danae, what are you doing!" 5 called out to her. She continued to run. She burst through the emergency door. 5 caught up to her in the lightly wooded area just outside. She was standing on the hill, staring out in front of her. 5 came up next to her.

"It's beautiful, isn't it Jericho?" She said.

"Yea, but listen, we need to go, they're right-" He started, but Danae grabbed his hand. They both stared out into the wilderness. Danae turned to face her partner.

"Jericho, I need to tell you something." She said, turning to face him.

"Danae, we really need to go." Jericho pleaded. Disappointed, she turned back around to face their old home.

"Jericho, we're free now. We don't need to be soldiers anymore." She said. Jericho looked at her. As she lifted her head, blood and flesh blew out of her chest. She dropped to her knees as Jericho dropped with her. Kneeling, he lifted her in her arms.

" What…. What are we?" She whispered, blood soaking through her clothes

"We're supposed to be soldiers…" He responded, weakly

"I don't feel like a soldier Jer-"

"Please, don't say my name." He cut her off.

"Oh right, that's your civilian name, isn't it?"

"No, it's not like that…"

"You and I both know it is. I loved you, but we had to be soldiers."

"There can't be time for-"

"Love?"

"No, emotion."

"So, this is it then? This is what happens?"

"Danae, they can-"

"No Jericho, good bye." She said quietly. Her head fell into Jericho's chest.

"Danae? Danae?" He said, gently shaking her. He brushed the hair from her cold face. He gently kissed her.

"I loved you too."

His world began to shatter. He flew back onto his back as Danae's body began dancing in the air. The tree's began to burn. His whole world was on fire. He started screaming as he heard giggling. The voices started to come back as he felt his arms and chest began opening up.

"DAMNIT, BOROUS MORE SLEEPY MEDICINE. GET SOME MED-X AS WELL."

"Oh dear, it looks like this teddy-bear is having a nightmare. Shh shh shh my little teddy-bear, all will be well."

"[($#^%$&)%^$*&^%*&^%]"

"Quiet 8, that's not going to help."

"8,O, BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP."

The world went black, the voices faded, the pain ceased. He felt dead.


	7. Chapter 7: Upgrades

**Thank you guys for bearing with me:3 I will come out and say I am not a big fan of Office Libre, and that I now have to go through multiple computers to bring this too you, but anyways, here you go. -Ray**

**Chapter 7**

**Upgrades**

Alexis sat on the bed crying. All around her the comforting chips came from what seemed to be no-where.

"Now don't be sad little lady. I'm sure that the docs downstairs will help your friend." A smooth, jazzy sounding voice called out.

"If sir will permit, sir has my condolences'." A more accented, gentleman sounding voice called.

"Don't worry baby, Doctor Klein is in. He knows what to do." A deeper, seductive voice sounded.

"Hey, um Alexis, are you ok?" Asked Muggy, the tiny, narcotic Securitron. He was the only thing she could identify with a voice. Alexis wiped her eyes and sat up.

"I guess, it's just he had saved me from a lot. I don't want to see him go without at least getting to know him." She finally said.

"Hey, I bet if we go downstairs, they'll have him all fixed up!" Muggy said cheerfully. In his processor, however, he had regretted saying it. He saw The Boys condition. The Think Tank was comprised of some really ingenious people-er robots, but that kid was going to need a miracle.

"Ok, let's go Muggy." Alexis finally said. She followed her wheeled friend to the elevator. They reached the Think Tank and moved into the Dome. Alexis slowly approached the floating scientist and looked onto the mess on the operating table. On the table lay The Boy. He wasn't being covered, and his chest cavity was exposed. What appeared to be the ribcage was made of some dull metal, and there was a stunning lack of organic organs. Alexis fell back onto the cold floor, passed out. Klein looked over to her unconscious body.

"UHH GREAT. WE NOW HAVE TWO UNCONSCIOUS "HUMANS" TO DEAL WITH. "Klein grunted.

"Doctor, maybe we should move her." Darla suggested.

"DARLA, I HAVE WORK TO DO. O, MAKE YOURSELF USEFUL AND REMOVE THE FEMALE." Klein commanded.

"Ha, not a chance Klein, this kid is as much robot as human. You might need me. Get Bourous to do it." Dr. O stated.

"I DON'T CARE WHO, SOMEBODY DO IT!" Klein shouted. His monitors scrunched closer together. 8 chirped and went over to move Alexis. He used his claws to grab her shoulders and move her to the stairwell. He then regrouped with the others.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS KID? THE TECHNOLOGY HE HAS SURPASSES SOME OF THAT HERE IN BIG MT." Klein said, as he prodded at the artificial heart that was beating. Along with the heart, he had mechanical looking lungs and a robotic spine. His bones had been replaced with a metal alloy. There was no stomach, and in the stomach's place was the power source.

"Is he nuclear?" Dr. O asked.

"I DON'T KNOW, YOU _ARE_ THE ROBOTICS EXPERT." Klein retorted.

"First, a COMMUNIST, then he became a NUCLEAR COMMUNIST!" Dr. Bourous shouted.

Darla glared at him using her monitors. She then glanced down at her patient.

"It would appear that he is in need of blood." She stated.

"WHAT? BLOOD?" Klein stupidly asked.

"Yes, it's what keeps our teddy-bear's muscles oxygenated. If he doesn't have enough, no amount of surgery will save him." Her tone dropped. They all looked over towards the sleeping Alexis.

…

"Now we need to be sure this is the right blood type. If not, things will only get worse." Darla stated as she drove the needle into Alexis's quivering arm. After the sample had been taken from her, Darla hovered over to The Boy. She took the sample from a vein leaving the artificial heart. After a moment, she sighed.  
>"It's not a match." She sorrowfully said.<p>

"Well, what are we going to do?" Alexis asked.

"There should still be some lobotmites roaming about. If you were to knock them unconscious, then we could extract all the blood we would need. Make sure they are kept alive." Darla stated.

Alexis found herself back up in The Sink, talking to the CIU unit.

"Miss Darla has instructed me to lend you a Hunting Shotgun along with 50 rounds of Bean-bag ammunition." The console beeped. From one of the ports came the shotgun and ammo.

"Happy hunting sir." The voice beeped. Alexis gripped the shotgun and held it to her chest. Muggy wheeled by her side. He nudged her and they left. They got into the elevator and began their descent. As they reached the ground, Alexis got to finally see where the device had taken her.

She stepped outside to a barren wasteland. There were some buildings out in the distance, but nothing in the immediate vicinity.

"Well, we better get going." Muggy stated, heading east. Only five minutes later, the duo found themselves being chased by a pack of night-stalkers. As she ran down the path, she tripped over a half buried container. The shotgun flew from her grip as she fell to the ground. She stumbled up and ran even faster with Muggy not far behind. She burst through double-doors and fell to the ground as Muggy tried to close it. Alexis shot up and closed it. She braced herself against the door as the beast began to pounce against it. Muggy saw a piece of lumber and began to push it towards the door. As it was pushed closer, Alexis grabbed it and wedged it between the handles. She slowly backed away from the door as Muggy whirled around her. She slumped up against her new prison. She crawled up into a ball as tears streamed from her eyes.

Hours passed. Muggy had grown tired and laid on his back. Suddenly he buzzed to life.

"Hey, do you know where we are!" Muggy shouted. Alexis looked up at him, now bursting with life.

"We're in the securitron de-construction plant!" He shouted while he practically flew down the ramp. Alexis got up and started running after him. As she made it into a much larger room, she turned and saw Muggy upstairs, moving through a door. She ran upstairs and followed him. She caught up to him in a room that could be described as a repair bay. She ran up to him as he was glaring at the largest of the repair pods.

"Muggy, what the hell was that!" She questioned him. He only stood there. Alexis looked at the glory before her. The pod held the biggest, scariest looking Securitron she had ever lay her eyes on. She walked over to the terminal next to the pod. Muggy came up next to her with a cord in his claw.

"Put this in the rectangular slot." He commanded coldly.

"What will this-" Alexis started, but she was cut off.

"Please, just do it." He said. Alexis obliged. She connected the cord. She looked down at Muggy to find him blank. There was only a bar on his screen that was filling up.

"Upload, complete." She heard him say. It didn't come from the cute little robot though. A giant claw crashed through the pod window as another gripped the edge. The monster inside tore the door out and threw it across the floor. The Securitron in the pod rolled out. On its screen was the mug with a warm smile and cute eyes.

"M-Muggy, is that you?" Alexis squeaked out.

The Securitron responded by bringing out the sub-machine gun.

...

Outside, the Night-stalkers grew bored. The Alpha male made it a task to wait for their next meal to come out. Many had laid down and taken a nap. It was dark out, and the pack leader was growing restless. Suddenly, he perked up. The hair on his neck and back stood up as the others assumed the same position. The doors flew off their hinges as a rather large securitron rushed out, sub machine-gun and grenade launcher going crazy. Those not killed in the initial assault fled. Muggy stood over the massacre, laughing. No longer was he just some small toy. No longer was he just some psychotic, mug-loving pest. Alexis walked out of the door and onto the battlefield. She found her shotgun and continued the hunt.

It had grown dark out. She had a hard time seeing in the dark. She was used to the bright lights of New Vegas. Muggy followed, happily humming "The Mug Song."

"Maybe now, I can get into Higgs and get all those god damned mugs!" He proclaimed, almost to happy. Before Alexis could respond, she heard a gunshot in the distance. She dropped to the ground as Muggy opened up his missile pods. Alexis realized she was not being shot at, and looked around to see what was. She found the source of the shots and saw three oddly dressed men roughing about. She came to the conclusion that they were the lobotomized that needed to be captured. She noted her surroundings and came up with a plan.

…...

"Roar! I am the fearsome Muggy!" Muggy shouted as he rolled down the hill. The lobotomitzes dropped what they were doing and ran towards a door in the side of a hill. As they ran in, they shut the door. Muggy came up and began to pound on the door, taunting them. Alexis came up behind him.  
>"Ok Muggy, lets open this door." She shouted.<br>Muggy obliged and started firing grenades at the wooden door. Alexis stepped through the remains and looked at her surroundings. One was torn to shreds, but the other two were salvageable. She whistled for Muggy to enter.  
>…..."Suprisingly, They were both a match. I will get our teddy-bear hooked up at once." Darla said, floating over to the table with two packs of blood. Alexis left before she felt faint again. She stepped on the elevator with Muggy and headed upstairs. When they stepped off, Muggy had a hard time getting back into the main rooms, so he just powered down in the hallway. She ignored the chirps and buzzes and headed to bed.<p> 


	8. Chapter 8: Out of Your Mind

**Over a thousand hits, you guys are the best =) Unfortunately, I may not be able to write more for a while, but I will as soon as I can.- Ray**

**Chapter 8**

**Out of Your Mind**

"Hehe, wake up sleepyhead."

Jericho groaned, but jolted to life when he realized what had just happened. He tried to move, but found himself suspended in mid-air. The girl that he saw in his dream was floating ahead of him, almost sitting in the empty world he was in.

"Welcome, Jericho." The girl giggled.

"W-wha.. where am I?" He stuttered, still dazed.

"I would be lying if I said I knew. I think the term is 'subconscious'". She joked.

"How am I in my… what?" He replied.

The girl flipped back and flew straight into Jericho's face.

"Now that I think about it, this is defiantly your mind, hehe." She giggled again.

"And that'll make me, your conscious." She continued. She floated and flew around, mocking Jericho, who was still incapacitated. He tried moving his hands, but they felt numb. His whole body felt paralyzed. Above him, a timer appeared, starting at five minutes.

"What's with the timer?" He asked. His conscious flew beside him.

"It would appear that you have lost so much blood that you brain is not being oxygenated enough. When the timer runs out, you begin to lose brain cells." She stated, the only time she has seriously said something.**  
><strong>

"**All we can do now, is wait."**

…

"Dr. Klein, it would appear that we are losing him." Darla stated, reading the oxygen levels in his new blood.

"IT'S THIS HEART, IT WON'T START." Klein replied, pushing it with his synthetic hands. Dr. O floated over.

"That's because it's not a human heart, idiot." O smirked.

"THAN WHY DON'T YOU START IT!" Klein retorted.

"Well if you're gonna be mean about it, than no." O said, turning his back to Dr. Klein. Klein reached over with one of his pincers and grabbed O by the monitor and dragged him closer.

"NOW, IF YOU WON'T RESTART THIS HEART, SO HELP ME I WILL REWIRE YOU SO GOOD, YOUR AUDIO WILL BE REGESTERING WITH YOUR VISUALS AND VICE VERSA, DO YOU UNDERSTAND!" Klein shouted. O immediately started working on the synthetic heart.

…...

The timer read 2:43 when it stopped. Jericho felt his own heart beating, and the life returned to his body. He balled his hand into a fist, then released it. He felt back in control.

"Well, look who's finally waking up!" His conscious shouted ecstatically.

"Now that I'm up, can you tell me where I am?" Jericho questioned.

"I don't know about the outside, but I can give you the full introduction." She said, winding her body. She sprang up as colors flew from her fingertips.

"This is your subconscious. You control this, well, I do, anyways." She stated.

"If you control it, than how do I control it?" He asked, failing to see her logic.

"I belong to you, and you belong to me. In a sense, we are one in the same." She said, painting the scene. It turned to be a lightly wooded area.

"Wait… I know this place." Jericho started.

" I know you would." She said giggling. As she "painted" more, Jericho's heart shank.

"This is… where it all happened… Danea died." Jericho started. His conscious only smiled.

Danea appeared in the trees. She started dancing, beckoning for Jericho to follow.

"What the hell! Stop this, please!" He shouted at the mockery.

"What's the matter, is this painful to watch?" She giggled. Jericho only nodded, tearing up.

" But I thought you liked pain?" She mocked, tapping her arms. Jericho looked down at his arms. They were bare, and the scars began to open. Blood dripped down his arms and onto the ground. He remembered when he found out what they made him, what they had down to him, that day in the isolation room.

He was filled with a sudden rage. He looked up at the mocking conscious.

"Just remember, I control you." She laughed.

"I control you to…" He whispered, as he thought about stopping the situation.

Danea's corpse stopped dancing, as she was buried in a grave at the roots of a tree. He destroyed the world he was in, burned it down with his raging heart. He lifted his hand, and grabbed the laughing conscious. In one swift motion, he brought her to what appeared to be the ground. He held her there as he walked up.

"Congratulations, you learned how to control your conscious." She said, choking.

Jericho didn't let up.

"Wait, what are you _–cough- _doing?" She asked. Jericho simply smiled.

"I don't like to be controlled." He said, squeezing the life out of her. In his blind rage, his world filled with a white light.

…...

He felt his heart beat. The world came back to him in an eerier ringing. Jericho looked up to see the floating brains, his doctors, check his vital signs.

"Breathing is normal."

"HIS PULSE IS NORMAL."

"($$#%$$(#$%$$#)^^$%$)"

"It would appear, that WE have revived, a COMMUNIST!"

"Bourous, please don't startle the teddy bear."

"WELCOME BACK TO LIFE. NOW IF YOU WILL PLEASE MOVE, WE HAVE A LOT OF CLEANING TO DO. YOU HUMAN CLOTHES ARE IN THE LOCKER OVER THERE." The head brain said, pointing to a locker by an entrance way. Jericho, wobbly, got up and headed over to his things.


	9. Chapter 9: Waking Up

Chapter IX

Waking Up

Jericho looked around at the white padded room through teary eyes. He looked down at the jumper he wore. It was stained in blood.

_My Blood…_

He thought. He looked at the cut flesh on his arm. Danea's death had caused him to drive into an even deeper depression. He stared at the one-way glass on the wall.

"Y-you, what do you want from me?" He stuttered. He got up.

"What do you want from me!" He shouted in anger. He jumped at the glass and started pounding on it. He didn't see the web forming at the pounding of his fist.

His hand shattered a hole through the glass. The shards tore at his hand and arm. On the other side, he heard a women shout and the muffled voice of a Heavy Trooper.

"He broke through the glass!" He, or she, it was hard to tell, shouted. Jericho pulled his hand from the glass and looked at it. Under the skin was a layer of metal.

"What…. What is this?" He quietly asked to no one in particular.

"What the hell is this!" He screamed. He grimaced as he pulled some of the skin back. Under the muscle was a metal support. He grabbed a shard of glass and started tearing the flesh and muscle away from his arms. They were both supported by metal.

Jericho looked up in time to see a riot shotgun fire a Bean-bag round into his chest. His last view was of three Heavy Troopers with their weapons trained on him as he lay on the ground

…

Jericho woke up covered in sweat as he panted over his dream. He slid his legs down on the couch. He looked at his hands in the dim lighting. The skin was replaced on the left arm. He stared at the new, pink flesh, then to the pale, scarred flesh of his right. He slumped back onto the couch and noticed a bottle of wine on the table. He had never really drank before, but the bottle tempted him.

"Hell, it can't be that bad." He said to himself. He tried standing up, but wobbled over, and then fell on the floor. He was still going through some of the effects of his recent procedure. He lied there for a bit, suddenly very light headed. He attempted a few time to get up until he gave up and just crawled on all fours to the couch. He was too tired to do anything else. He fell asleep, hoping that the night terrors would stop.

Alexis opened her eyes and went into a state of shock. She jolted out from under the covers, and then the memories of the previous night came back to her. She was even more hurried to get clothed and run downstairs to see Jericho's state. She didn't get further than the door. He was barely standing in front of the door, wearing only the boxers he had and the badges on his chest. Alexis jumped back, shocked, but then ran up to hug him. He grunted in pain and staggered back, but Alexis did not let go.

"I'm so glad you're alive." She said, choked up. Jericho awkwardly returned the hug.

"I'm glad too…" Jericho replied. Alexis realized he was in some pain, and helped lower him down to the couch.

"Where're your clothes?" She asked, staring at the bandages.

"I left them… um…" He struggled to remember. Muggy made his entrance, carrying Jericho's torn clothing. He would have been more defensive towards the giant Securitron if he was not so tired.

Jericho looked sadly at the torn duster. He had gotten it a few days before he snuck past the NCR border guard.

"Don't worry; the CIU can repair it for you." Muggy said positively. Jericho, still slightly intoxicated from his anesthesia, needed help finding the CIU. Muggy pointed him to the console in the center of the main room.

"Good day sir, may I assist you?" The console beeped. Jericho looked awkwardly at it, wondering how such a device was functioning, let alone speaking.

"Can you repair this?" Jericho asked the device. A slot opened up near his feet.

"Most certainly sir, this one time I can overlook the fee." The console beeped. Jericho, reluctantly, placed the duster and armor in the compartment. Moments later, the set popped out, completely new. Jericho looked it over, and walked away. He was still too tired to learn about something so advanced.

Jericho spent the next day with a mixture of sleeping, refusing food, and talking to Muggy and Alexis. Jericho learned of their adventure, and commended them for it. He made note of the various "wild" life that Big Mountain had to offer. The more Muggy told of what was behind the steel wall only added to Jericho's thirst for adventure. After a day of rest, he was ready to quench his thirst.

"Jericho, you're not ready to go out yet." Alexis pleaded.

"Trust me, I'm all right." Jericho retorted, "I'm only going out for a bit." He added. He walked onto the elevator and pressed the button. The steel doors slid across, making her sad eyes disappear.

…...

Jericho stepped off the elevator as the door closed behind him. He walked out from under the impressive structure into the arid heat. His view was blocked by metal gates and various other bulky machinery. He looked around, taking in the scenery of Big Mountain. He walked into the slight breeze and felt the warm sun on him. He was moving past the machinery when he heard the crunch of gravel. He turned around, magnum drawn, and pointed it to the source of the sound. There was nothing in his sight, so he silently scolded himself for being jumpy and holstered his revolver. He turned around and was met with a Powerfist to his chest.

Jericho had flown back a decent five feet before his back hit the ground. He looked up and saw a crazed man with an odd Powerfist in his hand. Jericho jumped up to met his opponent. Before he could draw his weapon, the man was nearly on top of him. Jericho dropped his revolver in an attempt to dodge the blow. He rolled to his left and sidestepped away from another close call. The man held his arm out for just a moment to long, and Jericho attempted a tricky tactic. He grabbed the man's arm and punched the man in the nose. His knuckles grazed the underside of the goggles the man wore as blood spilled from his nostrils. In one swift motion, Jericho ripped the gloved Powerfist from the man's hand and pushed him back. Jericho equipped the odd fist and punched the man in the stomach. Blood shot from his mouth to join the blood on his face. In one final swing, Jericho connected the fist to the man face, causing it to explode.

Jericho wiped the blood from his face and looked at his fallen opponent. He wore a soiled jumpsuit. On the bits of his face scattered across the ground, he made out the broken goggles.

"That's a Lobotomite. They're the only thing that's really human around here." Muggy concluded, rolling up behind Jericho.

"Be careful, they travel in p-"Started Alexis, but she was silenced by two other Lobotomites running around the corner. One had another Powerfist, while the other carried a strange axe looking device. By this time, Jericho was ready for a fight.

The Lobotomite with the Axe swing towards Jericho, but missed and stuck his axe into the ground. Jericho ran up the handle and flipped over the Lobotomite, just as Alexis fired a 12 gauge round into his chest. Jericho landed behind the falling Lobotomite, and engaged the one with the odd Powerfist. Jericho blocked a rather lethal strike, and landed three of his own in an impressive time. The second one fell, suffering from multiple internal fractures and massive bleeding.

Jericho stood above his victim and looked at his Powerfist. He wiped off the blood on it and looked at the name engraved on it.

"Hmm… Saunite?" Jericho asked, puzzled.

"Saunite is a lightweight yet strong metal. It's just one of the many inventions created here at Big Mountain." Muggy informed Jericho. Jericho, impressed, wiped the blood off on the fallen Lobotomite. He walked over to the odd looking axe and pulled it out of the ground.

"That would be a Proton Collider axe. It uses particles to move in-between the targets atoms, causing lethal damage." Muggy continued. Jericho shrugged and added it to his arsenal. He picked up his revolver and walked off with Muggy and Alexis.


	10. Chapter 10: Upgrades pt 2

Chapter X

Upgrades Pt. 2

Jericho jumped from the pipeline to a rock overhang as Alexis and Muggy fended off a pack of cyber-dogs and Night stalkers. The trio had been walking around the past hour or so, learning the land. All they've learned so far was that Night stalkers are very sneaky.

Jericho clung to the rock. He didn't want to take his chances on the pipeline; despite the fact Muggy had Okayed it. He remembered stories of soldiers dying in massive groups due to pipelines being destroyed and burned during the Chinese push into Alaska. Jericho realized that it may be a better fate than dying at the jaws of these monstrosities.

Jericho was about to climb up before the rocks he clung to gave way. He fell and hit an orange crystal on the way down. He landed on his back, and laid there for a moment. He opened his eyes and actually considered having metal structures for bones a blessing.

"You guys go ahead; I'll meet you back at The Sink!" Jericho shouted from the ground. Alexis confirmed it by pulling up her Shotgun and started running across the pipeline.

As Jericho watched them disappear behind the rocks, he was alerted by a group Mister Gutsies shouting pro-American one-liners behind him. He dodged a plasma burst as another charged at him, starting up his burners.

"What's the matter, commie, afraid of the sight of your own blood?" It screamed.

"What's up with robots and communist?" Jericho muttered under his breath as he readied his axe. He spun it around two times before cutting the flamer's burner down the middle. He then brought it back up through the Mister Gutsy's CPU. As the floating robot crumbled, he jumped over it and took out the circular saw of another. He was starting to like these new weapons.

He sliced his way through the third one when he felt more eyes staring at him. He readied his axe and spun around. The ghost like object behind him vanished. He turned around again and heard laughing. He slowly backed up.

"Boo!" His now real conscious playfully hollered behind him. Startled, he jumped and spun around. He stared at the red eyes and white hair.

"What are you doing here?" He questioned.

"I dunno, just thought I'd bug you a bit more." She grinned. Obviously, it was working.

"Look you-"Jericho started, but he realized she didn't have a name.

She laughed, "Cat got your tongue?"

"If you're Jericho, than that must make me… Jerikka?" She asked, not intending an answer.

Jericho shrugged her off and continued into the canyon. She walked off to his side. He knew she wasn't there, she couldn't be.

It was getting dark when Jericho felt he needed a rest. He silently cursed himself for getting used to be sleepy all the time. He noticed a large metal portal leading under the mountain. He looked through and saw a wrecked train yard and a large door. He walked up to the door and stared at it.

"The Forbidden Zone?" He asked, nearly taunting the cliché name.

"What's so forbidden about it?" Jerikka asked, walking around the door.

Jericho decided to find out by pulling on the metal override. The door mechanically slid up, revealing a dark chamber.

"It's too dark in here." Jericho muttered as he squinted into the darkness.

"Then turn on your night-vision, that's what it's there for." Jerikka implied.

Jericho looked at her, confused more than ever.

"Oh you poor thing, you don't even realize how advanced you truly are." Jerikka said sarcastically.

"Press your thumb to your little finger." She said, mimicking the motions. Jericho did so, and nearly jumped in surprise. In the vision of his right eye, he saw a floating circle. He slid his thumb and looked at his options.

"Along with night-vision, you also have access to several implants." She stated as Jericho looked at what was available. He noticed many chem and limb implants that had been shut down. He activated the implants in his legs. He felt a mechanism slide up in his legs, increasing his height. He read a message stating that several attributes had been increased by various percentages. Next, he activated his arms. After he had made his way through his options, he had grown three inches, was faster than a Deathclaw and had a punch that could rival Rocky Balboa.

Before he removed his thumb, he activated his night vision and stared at the creature that lay before him. In front of him was a giant, mechanical scorpion. As he stepped back, the beast came to life. Jericho leapt out of the way just in time for the beast to fire a radioactive blast where he once stood. He ran up some stair and crouched behind the viewing port of one of the cells that lined the walls. He looked up for a second and noticed various terminals scattered around the walkways and cells. He also noticed the scorpion training another blast on him. He ducked again and made a plan in his head.

"Why don't you just use your axe thingy?" Jerikka said, sounding somewhat dulled down. Jericho stared at her, and realized he never was able to think quite as fast as he should. An idea popped into his head to use the Turbo implant. He pressed his thumb to his little finger and scrolled to the implant label GX-13. He selected it and read the warning.

"Warning, may cause liver failure, internal bleeding, and death. Please allow 24 hours for 10 doses." Jericho read aloud. He selected it anyways. The world around him slowed down, and he began to think more clearly. He ran up to the cell stationed at the higher corner near the entrance. His fingers pounded on the keyboard, hoping to find the solution. He looked up to see the scorpion still turning to face him, slowly grinding against the metal floor. He found the activation option for drones stationed below him. He hit it and hid from the armored beast. The turbo wore off as the drones began to leave their pods. Below him he felt the shakes of the scorpion's tail blast and heard the drones' fire in return.

"C'mon, those drones aren't going to hold that thing off forever!" Jerikka shouted. Jericho knew she was right, but he couldn't risk an overdose, he was only human.

_Or am I… _He thought.

"Now's not the time to whine about your feelings, now's a time to kill that thing." Jerikka said. The idea of not even being human anymore hurt him, and made him even fearful, but she was right. He stood up, took of his hat and duster, and administered the dose of turbo.

Only wearing an advanced anti-ballistics vest and forearm guards made of the same material, he felt much lighter. He checked his revolver and steadied the axe to he back and the Saunite fist to his hand. He began running across the gangway and rounded into a cell. He began typing into the console and found that they were controls to the generators. He re-routed them to overpower and explode, which did exactly that. Before he had a chance to let out a successful cry, the supports to the cell gave way. As the cell slowly began to fall, he ran out of the doorway.

Time began to return to its normal pace as he sprinted past the falling supports. In desperation, he made a leap of faith towards the severed cell. He watched the gangway fall from under him as his hand latched onto the frame. He dangled there for a moment, unable to pull himself up. Underneath him was a massive heap of exposed wire and rebar.

"Jericho, take my hand!" Jerikka screamed. He had no choice. He grabbed her hand as she assisted him in getting up. He rested his back against the cold steel wall. He looked over at her. She sat on the ground, panting. She nodded to him and he knew there was still work to be done.

He ran down the stairs, axe in hand. The scorpion was finishing of the drones, to distracted to measure Jericho as a threat. Jericho took this to his advantage and looked for the next terminal. He spotted it along the other length of cells and gangways. He ran for what he thought were the stairs that led to it. As he ran up the stairs, he stopped in front of a glowing blue wall. He pounded his fist on it and cursed. Jericho turned and saw that part of the other gangway was within his reach. Jumping across the ledge, Jericho landed solidly on the platform. A radioactive blast screamed behind him as he ran towards the terminal. His fingers swiftly searched the keyboard as he tried to bypass the security console. He did a leap of success when he heard the turrets started to whirl up.

The metallic, "Target acquired" was music to his ears. Powerful beams of light struck the hull of the scorpion. The turrets had automatically targeted the weak point in the beast structure.

"Its hull is damaged, now's you chance if there ever was one." Jerikka dully said. Jericho nodded, complying, and ran for a gangway that was stretching out towards the scorpion. He lined up his jump, almost glad that the turret once there was obliterated. Like a runner at the pre-war Olympics, he took off. As he jumped, he felt the shutter of the final turret explode, and he pulled out his axe from he back. The scorpion detected him in the air, but failed to snatch him in its grip. As Jericho landed, he plunged the axe deep into the damaged hull. In desperation, he punched the hull his axe made, and widened it a great deal. He tore away at the lose metal and jumped into the synthetic giant.

Inside was a beautiful display of wires and framework. In a sense, Jericho was sad to have to kill it. He walked up to the device which all the wires lead to. Jericho stood sideways as he removed the revolver from his holster. He aimed into the device and fired the six shots that the cylinder held. Almost immediately, the creature screeched to a halt. As this happened, Jericho jumped out of the scorpion, grabbed his axe, and ran to cover. He had just made it to the ground cell when the creature exploded. Still hyper and trembling from the natural adrenaline, and went to retrieve his hat and duster. When he was dressed in his usual gear, he walked and stood in front of the door that the scorpion seemed to be guarding. He reached out and allowed it to slide open.


End file.
